Artificial bait



Nov. 2, 1943. A. R. @HUELLER 2,333,590

ARTIFICIAL BAIT Filed April e, 1942 is above the body 5.

which they are secured, it is only necessary to force the respective eye attachment into the opening in the eye I to spread the shanks I4 apart and thread one of said shanks and the respective hook I3 through the eye attachment. To releasably'hold the trolling hooks I3 against movementrelative to the body 5, I provide for each eye attachment a pin I8 anchored to said body. Each of these pins I8 is adapted to be inserted between the Shanks` I4, slightly spread the same apart and thereby cause said shanks to pinch the respective pin I8 and thereby yieldingly hold said shanks I4 and hence the hooksv I3. See Fig. 2.

Formed in the body 5 at the head end thereof and just forward of the front pair of fins 9 is a" central upright passageway I 9. A cavity is formed in the under side of the body 5 rearwardremove the trolling line I 2 and the trolling hooks I3 from the body 5 and insert the shank of the hooks 2I upwardly through the passageway I9 and attach the line 26 thereto.

The body 5 has indicated thereon oblique intersecting lines 2'I that simulate the scales on a iish.

The drawing illustrates a commercial form of the invention, but it will be understood that the same is capable of certain modications as to details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.

.What I claim is:

1. An articial bait comprising a body having therein anupright passageway and also having a cavity in Aits under side, three hooks having a ly of the passageway I9. A gang of three hooks 2I for still fishing are circumferentially spaced equal distances apart about a. common center.

inner portions of hooks 2| and with one of thehooks 2I extending into the cavity 20. Obviously, the hook 2I Vin the cavity,20 holds the body 5 from turning about the projected axis of the shank 25. With one of the hooks 2l in the cavity 20, the body 5 extends midway between the other two hooks 2l which are held spaced outwardly from the sides of said bodyl with their points materially above the under side of the body 5. As the inner portions of the hooks 2| and the YShanks 22 are substantially entirely concealed in the passageway I9 with, only enough of the pointed end portions of said two hooks projecting outwardly of the body '5 to hook and catch a fish, they are inconspicuous.v One end of a line 2B is attached to the'eye which, as shown,

When trolling, a iish will strike the bait from the tail end and grab the hooks I3, but when still shing, a iish will strike the bait from the under side and grab the two `exposed hooks 2|. As soon as a sh is caught yon the hooks 2I and starts whipping action, in anattempt to free itself from the hooks, the body 5 will be forced outward of the shank 25 and onto the line 26 away from' the caught fish. If the bait remained in its normal position relative to the hooks 2I, said hooks would be bent and ruined by the caught sh.

If the improved bait is to be used for trolling, it is an extremely simple matter to remove the gang of hooks 2I and the attached line 26 from the body 5 and attach the trolling line I2 and the pair of trolling hooks I3 to said body, either above or below the same as indicated by full and broken lines, respectively, in Fig. 1. On the other hand, if the bait is to be used for still shing, it is also asimple and easy matter to common shank loosely extending upwardly into the passageway from the under side of the body, and a line attached to the shank at its upper end, one ofthe hooks normally extending into the cavity and holding thebody from turning about the longitudinal axis of the shank, the free end portions of Vthe other two hooks kbeing spaced outwardly of the sides of the body with the points `o f said two hooks above the under side of the body.

2. An artificial bait comprising a body having therein 'an upright passageway, a hook having a shank loosely and removably extending upwardly into the passageway from the under side of, the body, and a line attached to the shank at its upperend, said shank and line being free for running movement through said passageway whereby the hook may be carried away from the body.

3. An artificial bait comprising a body having therein an upright passageway, a hook having a shank loosely and removably extending upwardly into the passageway from the under side of the body, a line attached to the shank at its upper end, said shank and line being free for running movement through said passageway'whereby the hook may be carried away from the body, and means normally releasably supporting the body relativeto the hook for direct lifting movement by the line.

4. An articial bait comprising a body having therein anvupright passageway, a plurality of hooks having a common shank loosely and removably extending upwardly into the passageway from the under side of the body, and a line attached to the shank at its upperv end, said hooks normally releasably supporting the body Afor direct lifting movement by the line and holding the same from turning about the longitudinal axis of the shank, said shank and line being free for turning movement through Vsaid passageway whereby the hook may be carried away from the .ADOLPH R. scHUELLER. 

